Blessed
by Poozie
Summary: Sarah thought taking the job as the Greenhill's Nanny was the right choice to make. How wrong could one person be. A short story about the Polite Leader and an Original Character.
1. Prologue

"All empty souls tend toward extreme opinions"

William Butler Yeats

**~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ****Prologue ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~**

**Graduation year, 2020**

A release of pent-up emotion was tangible to those who sat in the hall that day.

Row upon row of brown-hatted young women sat upon long wooden benches, as they waited for what seemed like forever, to hear their name called out.

"Sarah North."

A brown hat lifted up, and a pale face emerged as the teacher trilled the name towards the audience. The young woman rose sharply, and made her way to the stage.

This was it. The day had finally come. Sarah had graduated from the esteemed Norton Academy.

All those evenings spent poring over course books on child psychology, whilst simultaneously weeping at 2am had truly been worth it. And now, here she was, receiving her BA Honours Degree in Early Years Development and Learning.

"Thank you, Mrs. Jenson." Sarah whispered, and gave the older Nanny a shy smile.

"You've earned it, Sarah. Well done." Mrs. Jenson gave Sarah's hand a firm squeeze of encouragement and reverently handed over the paper which held the key to all of Sarah's hopes and dreams.

Sarah's smile grew a lot less shy, and she turned to walk solemnly back to her seat. The girl who was sitting next to her looked up and gave her a cheeky wink.

"God, I need a drink." The girl whispered to Sarah as she sat down. "And I need to ditch this bloody hat!" Auburn curls were trying desperately to burst free from the confines of the girl's brown hat, much to her annoyance.

"You should think yourself lucky, at least they don't make us wear corsets anymore." Sarah whispered back.

"Amen to that..."

################################################################################

Once the graduation ceremony was over, the girls headed over to the pub near the Academy for a few celebratory 'beverages' before the real fun started later that evening.

"Lucy, I've found a spot!" She called out to her friend, who then subsequently made a mad dash for said free table.

Sarah, shook her head in mirth at her friend, who was now strategically laying items of her outer clothing (hat, coat, gloves) on all the chairs to 'save' them for their other friends, who were due to join them shortly.

"You're a bit of a nutter, you know that?"

"Hmm, that's a bit rich coming from you..." Lucy replied with a slight twinkle.

Intrigued, Sarah sat down slowly and looked at her friend, "What do you mean by that?"

A sad look swept across Lucy's face, "Please don't go away. Stay here, stay in England."

"Ah."

"Don't 'ah' me. You shouldn't have accepted that placement over there. Anywhere that can condone that kind of _barbarism_ is not a place you should choose to live."

"Lucy, I know you're worried...but this is an amazing opportunity. And seriously, you wouldn't believe how safe it is there now!"

A snort of disbelief flew in the general direction of Sarah, who merely sighed.

"Please, Lucy, I just need to get away. I need a change of scenery. My parents aren't around, what with their retirement plans, and everywhere here just reminds me of Nick..."

"...the Prick." mumbled Lucy.

Sarah's breath hitched slightly, and she could feel the heat build up behind her eyes. _Don't cry, don't cry, don't cry._

"America is one of the safest, most economically secure countries in the world now. And the family I'm working for...they live in an incredibly affluent, _gated, _community! These people spend millions on high tech security to guard their homes."

"Sounds _delightful."_

"The Purge...yes, alright it's obviously not something I agree with." Sarah placed her hand on her friends shoulder, "But, you can't not do something because of what _might _happen. "

_#############_

_Author's Note: Norton Academy is based on Norland College - an old, highly regarded British institution where the 'best' Nannies are trained._


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

**Beverly Crest, Los Angeles – 2022**

She stared at her reflection in the black tinted windows of the large car, in hopes of diminishing the nausea. Two young children were waiting patiently inside – one a younger boy, the other, a slightly older girl -both too engrossed in their little game of make-believe to notice their Nanny's momentary lapse.

Sarah blinked her grey-blue eyes a couple of times, and she felt a moist layer cover her eyeballs. However, the motion seemed to increase the roaring sensation of vomit, which was threatening to spill onto the tarmac of the Supermarket parking lot.

_Es-ca-lade. Es-ca-lade. _She thought continually inside her head. It was one of the first new words she had learnt on arriving at the Greenhill's home two years ago. Mrs Greenhill had been sure to correct her when she had mistakenly referred to the family vehicle as a 'van'. It was a top-of-the-range _Escalade; _it came with heated cup holders, for Christ's sake. Unfortunately this model did not come equipped with every useful item, such as a sick bag.

The cause of the nausea was no mystery to Sarah. Tonight, was the Annual Purge – a fairly recent and horrifyingly successful event that was treated like a national holiday. Even as Sarah cautiously looked up, her brown bangs hanging slightly in her eyes, she could see a massive banner outside the supermarket, advertising the 'Best Deals on Purge Night Essentials'.

Sarah swallowed loudly as she read those words, and then closed her eyes. She remembered her first year in America, on her first ever Purge night. That was when the reality of her situation had dawned on her, and it had become twisted beyond all recognition.

On that warm Spring night the previous year, they had watched the Purge Feeds on the TV. Even though the Greenhills had invested in the finest home security system, which included huge metal shutters on all the doors and windows, Sarah had never felt so vulnerable.

Gruesome images flickered on the 50'' Plasma screen, as the family had gathered round and watched in the name of the new Founding Fathers. Mr Greenhill had mentioned to Sarah that you could even watch the Purge in 3D, but he didn't think that was right. The Purge was akin to a religious experience, and wasn't meant to be broadcast for entertainment.

A gentle knock on the window snapped Sarah back to reality. She opened the door gingerly and smiled at the two pouty children sitting inside.

"Sarah, I'm bored. And you promised we could have Ice Cream. " The little blonde haired girl looked up through her eyelashes. Beside her, her brother perked up at the mention of Ice Cream, and almost dropped his patchwork lion.

"Yes, Tory, you and Thomas _can_ have Ice Cream," Sarah unbuckled the younger boy, and helped him out of the car, making sure he had a firm grip on his favourite toy, "but only on the condition that you behave, which I'm sure you will."

Tory looked up at her Nanny speculatively, and appeared to be weighing up her options.

"We will, Sarah. Cross my heart and everything!"

"Good girl. Now let's go get a trolley, shall we?"

################################################################

The coolness of the Supermarket air con was a welcome relief to Sarah, and it appeared to help alleviate her queasiness. Taking a deep breath, she glanced down at her little charges. Thomas was settled in the toddler seat and was busily chattering away to his toy lion, whilst Tory was walking besides Sarah. She stopped for a moment to dig out the shopping list out of her handbag, and handed it to Tory.

"So, what's the first item on the list?" She asked the little girl.

"Um, milk."

As they headed towards the Dairy section, Sarah clocked a large crowd of people hovering around one particular section that they had to walk through. It was an area that seemed to dominate the centre of the store, and was wholly dedicated to the sacred night of the Purge. Huge neon coloured adverts and video screens of Purge propaganda were scattered throughout the shelves, and people watched with an interest that bordered on the perverse.

Sarah kept her cool as she traversed past these disturbing shelves and started to approach a group of preppy college students. They would have looked harmless enough, but unfortunately Sarah could hear them talking. They were lounging on the counter of the 'Gun and Ammo Kiosk' asking for a gargantuan amount of ammunition, and laughing loudly about the dirty pigs they would undoubtedly slaughter tonight.

Automatically, Sarah worried about the children overhearing their gory conversation. She couldn't speed up her pace, as Tory was walking so nicely at her side humming a pretty little tune, so she decided to try another tactic.

"I have a little story for you two!"

The children both looked up at Sarah, expectation plastered all over their little faces.

"Once upon a time, there was a poor little girl named Natalie whose parents were very ill. They needed a doctor badly, so Natalie set out to find one and bring him back. Along the way, she met a lot of beggars. Being a kind hearted girl, she gave away everything that she owned, apart from her shift. Without her shift, she would be completely naked!"

The children giggled at that part, and Sarah arched her eyebrow. Out the corner of her eye, she saw they were coming closer to the group of college students, and was painfully aware that she had caught the attention of one of them.

She was too frightened to look straight at them, and instead focussed on telling her story. However, she couldn't shake the feeling of being stared at intently.

"So, Natalie only had her shift on. After a while she entered a forest, and met with a poor orphan girl. The orphan girl begged Natalie to give her the shift, which Natalie did..."

Sarah was looking at Thomas, and didn't see Tory step away from her side. The little girl had been tempted by a brightly coloured toy on one of aisle endcaps. She stretched up on her toes to try and reach the toy, and had almost touched it with her finger tips, when she heard a male voice emerge from behind her.

"Allow me, little one."

Sarah's head whipped round at the sound of the voice. The student who had been watching her, was now handing a toy to Tory.

Tory, took the toy from the young man. Sarah sprang into action and raced over to the pair. She picked up Tory and gave the young man a tight smile and tried to walk off. But he was having none of it.

"I apologise if I have offended you in any way. By the way, how does your story end?"

"I..." She stuttered. He was staring at her in the most unsettling manner, and her mouth dried up in an instant. "I didn't know I had an audience."

She watched him as he seemed to assess her reaction. A small smile appeared on his lips and he spoke softly in response, "It was nice to listen to something so innocent, especially before embarking on a night of cleansing our country...and ourselves...of sin."

This young man (he looked to be at least a couple of years younger than her) and his stare were powerfully hypnotic, like a snake about to strike. She slowly took in his appearance, to try and drag her eyes away from his. He was clearly wealthy as his formal college uniform seemed to suggest, and he had a good-looking, blond, all-American appeal to him.

The young man politely asked again: "So, how does your story end?"

"Natalie's guardian angels send stars to fall from the sky. The stars turn out to be silver coins, and suddenly she's wearing a dress of the finest silver cloth."

"And with her silver coins, she can hire a doctor for her poor parents, I presume?"

"Yes, that's right." Sarah nodded curtly, "I don't mean to be rude, but we really must get going."

"No, I completely understand. Get home in time for lock down, young Miss. Unless...you wish to partake this evening? I know quite a few of your fellow countrymen who are campaigning to bring a Purge to your...green and pleasant land."

"NO! Um, no, thank you...I don't feel the need to _partake_."

He shrugged his shoulders , "Well, let me write down my number if you change your mind." He took a brown moleskin notepad and silver pen from his inside pocket and started writing.

"My friends and I would just_ love_ to have you join us." He gestured towards the group behind him, who were noticeably intrigued by the scene. The young man ripped a page from the notepad and handed it to Sarah. "My name is Malcolm, by the way. And I neglected to ask for yours. How _rude_ of me. "

A whisper was all she could muster, "I'm Sarah."

"Thank you for the wonderful story, Sarah. And I hope that we shall meet again." Malcolm picked up her hand, and very gently, laid a kiss on her knuckles.

Speechless, Sarah simply took her hand back and smiled thinly at him. Malcolm walked back towards his group of friends and inspected the ammo his friends had been buying at the kiosk.

_I wouldn't meet you again, if you were the last man on earth._


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"There is nothing stable in the world; uproar's your only music."

John Keats

There was a peculiar sense of stillness in the Greenhill home that evening. It was the kind of stillness that permeated all through the large hallways and the beautifully decorated rooms. If you were ever to find yourself face-to-face with such stillness, you would be sure to _feel _it – the oppressive nature of it was all consuming, complete with subtle hints of death that would slide down your skin like raindrops.

It was an hour until the official start of the year's Annual Purge, and one occupant of the house was basking in the knowledge. Enjoying the slick, black anger curling up in his stomach as he sat cross-legged on the floor, he thought of all the things he would like to do tonight – if only his shitty parents would allow him to go out.

From his position on the floor, he could see his bedroom door was slightly ajar. Soft footsteps were soon heard approaching his room, and he took a full, frustrated breath in through his nose. Sarah's figure appeared through the crack on the door, and she gave a polite knock.

"Hi Jonathan, how's it going? Your parent's have gone to the Beaufort's party...they told me to say 'bye' to you..." Sarah faltered and couldn't finish her sentence.

She knew the 13-year-old boy sitting alone in his room was hurting. From little clues here and there, and from snatches of stilted conversations they had had, Sarah had come to understand his pain. He was of the opinion his parents were too wrapped up in themselves, too interested in their status within this new America to even bother with him. They wanted a son who fitted the bill as an all-American boy, loved sports and excelled within his peer group. But Jonathan was an introverted and sensitive boy, and took the apparent rejection by his parents extremely badly.

Jonathan Greenhill was a _problematic _child – or so his mother had told Sarah on her first day with them. But all Sarah saw in him was total vulnerability. But instead of working to build a relationship with their son, Mr and Mrs Greenhill had shipped Jonathan off to boarding school a few years ago. And now he would only come back periodically for school holidays.

Sarah gently pushed his door open, and she saw the protective shell instantly wrap itself around him. One of the things Sarah was scared of happening to Jonathan was losing the ability to establish emotional connections with other people. She had learned at University that some children who cut themselves off from emotional interactions, would go on to find it near impossible to make emotional bonds in later life, or engage in any kind of intimacy. And because of this process of cutting themselves off, their true selves would be lost and become inaccessible.

But Sarah didn't want that kind of life for Jonathan. This boy that had everything money could buy, except his parent's love. She would try everything in her power to help him feel wanted, and appreciated.

She sat down next to him and nudged his knee with hers, "How about we do whatever you want to do tonight? It's your night." A warm smile lit up her face, but Jonathan maintained his hard stare at the floor.

"I'm not allowed to do what I want." His monotone reply came quietly.

"Come on Jonathan...it'll be our secret! What would you like to do tonight?"

Sarah was greeted with silence, and a surreptitious glance from under a black fringe. The young boy sighed and shook his head, before finally answering her shyly: "Did my dad show you how to lock down the security system?"

Puzzled by the random question, Sarah answered him slowly. "Yes, he did. Has he never shown you how to lock down as well?"

"No, never."

"Would you like to see how it's done?"

A glint appeared in Jonathan's eyes, "Yes, please."

###############################################################################

Sarah and the three children sat in Mr Greenhill's office on a large black leather couch, staring at the countdown clock on the television screen in front of them.

This was the worst part, Sarah had always thought. The anticipation, the build up to the Purge itself. Plus, she hated the fact that Mrs Greenhill had demanded that Sarah and the children had to sit and watch the Purge announcement. Like it was some warped family tradition.

A shrill sound burst from the surround sound speakers, breaking into Sarah's thoughts and causing her to look at the children either side of her. She glanced at Tory, the eight-year-old daughter of the Greenhills, who seemed to have such a wise old head on her young shoulders. _Such a good little girl...what a world you're going to inherit, you poor creature._

The blue screen came up on the television and a soothing female voice quickly filled the room.

"**This is not a test. This is your emergency broadcast system announcing the commencement of the Annual Purge sanctioned by the U.S. Government. **

**Weapons of class 4 and lower have been authorized for use during the Purge. All other weapons are restricted. Government officials of ranking 10 have been granted immunity from the Purge and shall not be harmed. Commencing at the siren, any and all crime, including murder, will be legal for 12 continuous hours. **

**Police, fire, and emergency medical services will be unavailable until tomorrow morning at 7 a.m., when The Purge concludes. Blessed be our New Founding Fathers and America, a nation reborn. May God be with you all."**

At the sound of the first almighty sirens, Sarah swallowed hard. Tory looked up at her, and proceeded to pat her hand gently.

"Don't worry, Sarah. We're inside; no one is going to get us in here."

Jonathan turned to give his sister a sharp look, but directed his retort towards the cabinet where his father kept his assortment of firearms.

"If anyone does get inside, I'll shoot them."

Now that shocked Sarah right to her core, so much so, she felt as if she had been winded. Had he meant to say that? Could she really blame him for thinking that way? What else would he think? He had been brought up to staunchly believe...and live...this new 'ideology'.

Crouching down on the floor in front of Jonathan, Sarah placed her hands on his shoulders and spoke gently to him.

"No one is getting into this house tonight. And no one is getting out. Is that quite clear, Jonathan?"

He just looked blankly back at her, and shrugged. "Whatever."

"Tell me you understand. And look me in the eye when you say it."

And that's when she saw a dark cloud appear in his eyes. An infinite unhappiness. Sarah wondered if he could hear her heart breaking in two, he was practically pouring his despair into her and it felt so awful.

"I understand, Sarah." Jonathan finally mumbled at her.

"Well, that's great. Glad we're all on the same page." She gave him a mild pinch on the cheek. "Now how about we all go and watch a movie?"

Tory and Thomas both started to squeal excitedly, whilst Jonathan maintained a guarded eye contact with Sarah. He was seething, not necessarily at her – mostly at himself. Jonathan was trying to calm himself down, but his self loathing only fuelled his resolve on the promise he had just made to himself.

"Sounds great, but I'm just going to finish some school stuff up here first. But I won't be long. _Promise."_


End file.
